Getting Down under » Featured

Changes to the skills assessment criterion for certain onshore General Skilled Migration applicants

Mark — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:14:03 +0000

From 12 March 2010, all applicants applying for either a Skilled—Regional Sponsored (subclass 487) visa, Skilled—Independent (subclass 885) visa or Skilled—Sponsored (subclass 886) visa will be able to use an existing suitable skills assessment to lodge a valid visa application.

This will allow applicants nominating a trade occupation for the above visa subclasses to provide a skills assessment pre-dating 1 January 2010 and is in line with the minister’s announcement on 8 February 2010.

This change should alleviate the concerns of international students and stakeholders regarding the amendments introduced on 1 January 2010. These amendments required onshore General Skilled Migration applicants who nominated a trade occupation to provide a skills assessment dated on or after 1 January 2010 to make a valid application.

This is no longer the case and the department will accept pre 1 January 2010 suitable skills assessments from 12 March 2010.

To confirm if your existing skills assessment is suitable for the purpose of applying for either a subclass 487, 885 or 886 visa, please contact the department on 1300 364 613.

If you are yet to obtain a skills assessment and wish to do so, you should contact the relevant assessing authority as soon as possible. It is important that you are assessed under the right skills assessment process for the visa and occupation you intend to apply for.

For details on the relevant assessing authority for your occupation and what it involves, please see: http://www.immi.gov.au/asri/

Note: It is important that you are assessed under the correct skills assessment process for the visa you intend to apply for. Some skills assessment processes can take a number of months to complete and you should determine well in advance which assessment you should undertake.

More Information : http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/general-skilled-migration/pdf/changes-skills-assessment.pdf

New Critical Skills List (CSL) Published

Mark — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 02:41:14 +0000

The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) updated the Critical Skills List this weekend with many computer professionals breathing a huge sigh of relief!

When the DIAC announced changes to the Australian immigration procedures on the 8th February, the Migration Occupations in Demand List became defunct. This left many people with occupations previously in the MODL in the dark about their chances of a successful Australian visa application.

Computer professionals had to have an occupation listed in the MODL in order to qualify for the CSL. With the MODL gone this was now impossible to achieve. Thankfully for many of these IT professionals, their quandary is now over as the CSL includes many computing occupations on the list.

Among the other key industries seeking skilled workers for jobs in Australia are healthcare, engineering, surveyors and fitters.

To view the full list, please click here.

Important Note:

DIAC hasn’t updated the footer on this document yet. DIAC’s webmaster has been contacted to advise so even though the list suggests it’s from March 2009, it is in fact the most current list.

GSM Points Test Review Discussion Paper Released

Mark — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:25:38 +0000

As a result of the recent General Skilled Migration (GSM) changes we wrote about on the 8th of February, a review of the GSM Points Test is to be undertaken in the first half of 2010 and a discussion paper will be placed on the department’s website for public comment until 12 March 2010.

The discussion paper has now been published and an excerpt of the paper is provided below:

The review of the General Skilled Migration (GSM) Points Test is part of a comprehensive reform of the skilled migration program. The Government has agreed on the following important principles which should underpin a new Points Test:

it should contribute to the selection of applicants who offer the most human capital and will therefore make the optimal contribution to Australia’s demographic and economic future;
it should not preclude very good applicants from offshore or in Australia, including former international students;
it should be able to operate flexibly under both current arrangements and any new arrangements for skilled migrant selection;
it should enable applicants with high value attributes across a number of areas such as English language ability, academic qualifications and work experience, to achieve the maximum number of points; and
it should not give undue weight to any one factor, so as to avoid distortions in the program arising from applicants seeking to meet that factor.

Consultation Process

This Discussion Paper has been developed on the basis of initial discussions with key Commonwealth, State and Territory Government, industry and union stakeholders. It is now being provided for broader public comment.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship is required to report to Government on the outcomes of this Review in May 2010. It is expected that any decisions of Government concerning the future of the Points Test in the GSM program will be implemented as soon as possible.

Please submit your suggestions or comments to the Assistant Secretary, Labour Market Branch at independent.skilled@immi.gov.au by 12 March 2010.

Purpose

The purpose of this Discussion Paper is to:

examine the effectiveness of the current Points Test in identifying potential migrants who will make the optimal contribution in terms of what the Treasury’s Intergenerational Report identifies as the three critical elements in addressing Australia’s future economic challenges: the number of people of working age (population), the proportion of people in work (participation), and the gross domestic product per hour worked (productivity), the “Three Ps”;
examine the role of the Points Test in the context of the current skilled migration reform agenda; and
generate discussion surrounding the selection factors relevant to meeting the agreed principles of a new Points Test.

To promote discussion, this paper avoids suggesting a single preferred solution or outcome to the Points Test Review. Instead, it seeks input on a number of key features of the Points Test.

You can read the full discussion paper by clicking here. Please remember to send your comments to independent.skilled@immi.gov.au by 12 March 2010. Make your comments heard!

Changes to the General Skilled Migration Program Annouced

Mark — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 03:59:36 +0000

Today, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Senator Chris Evans, announced a number of changes to the General Skilled Migration program.

Let’s look at the key changes. We’ll cover these changes in more detail further on in this article.

Offshore General Skilled Migration Visa Applications made before the 1^st September 2007 will be capped and then ceased.
The current Critical Skills List (CSL) will be revoked and will be replaced by a new Skilled Occupations List (SOL) effective from the middle of 2010.
The current Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) will be revoked and replaced with the same (and more targeted) Skilled Occupations List.
The General Skilled Migration (GSM) Points Test will be reviewed to evaluate the effectiveness of the current test.
New priority processing arrangements will be introduced for certain skilled migration visas.

Quite a lot to take in huh? We’ll try to break down the changes into a little more detail and as always, if you get stuck or have any further questions then feel free to pop into our forums.

1. Offshore General Skilled Migration Visa Applications made before the 1st September 2007 will be capped and then ceased.

OK, first things first and for many applicants (around 20,000 in fact) it’s not good news. In changes aimed at making skilled migration more responsive to Australia’s needs, all general skilled migration applications lodged before September 1, 2007 (when English and work experience requirements were, in theory easier), will have their applications withdrawn and application fees totalling $14 million refunded.

The Australian Government see this as ‘ending the ongoing uncertainty’ for offshore General Skilled Migrants although for many I’m sure it is the news they were dreading the most even if it does mean that the Visa Application Charge (VAC) is refunded.

On a more positive note applicants who have had their Visa Application revoked can still apply for any of the current GSM visa subclasses although they should be mindful of the need to meet the current legislative requirements which have changed significantly since 2007.

2. The current Critical Skills List (CSL) will be revoked and will be replaced by a new Skilled Occupations List (SOL) effective from the middle of 2010.

As part of today’s announcement, the government is looking to abolish the current list of Critical Skills, which contains 106 occupations.

For some time now the Australian Government has suggested that the CSL was always an interim measure whilst the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) review was being undertaken. For the first time however they’ve now set a target date of replacing the CSL with a new Skilled Occupations List which will become effective from the middle of 2010.

It is expected that the new SOL will be available for review by the 30^th April 2010 with priority processing arrangements for applications with nominated occupations on the current CSL continuing until they are reviewed in Mid 2010.

3. The current Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) will be revoked and replaced with the same (and more targeted) Skilled Occupations List.

As with the CSL, today’s announcement will also see the removal of the current Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL). The revocation of the current MODL will not affect applicants sponsored by an Australian employer, nor will it affect applicants who, at the date of this announcement (8^th February 2010)

hold a Skilled- Graduate (subclass 485) visa, or have a pending subclass 485 visa application and are yet to apply for a permanent or provisional General Skilled Migration (GSM visa), or
have a pending GSM visa application

It’s also worth noting that the new SOL will not apply to people applying for a Skilled-Graduate (subclass 485) visa who at 8^th February 2010 hold a:

Vocational Education and Training (subclass 572) visa.
Higher Education Sector (subclass 573) visa
Postgraduate Research Sector (subclass 574) visa.

Having said that, these student visa holders will still be required to have an occupation on the new SOL to apply for a permanent GSM Visa.

4. The General Skilled Migration (GSM) Points Test will be reviewed to evaluate the effectiveness of the current test.

The GSM Points Test Review will be undertaken in the first half of this year and a ‘discussion paper’ will be placed on the departments website (http://www.immi.gov.au/) by the 12^th February 2010 which will then be open for public comment until the 12^th March 2010.

It is not know at this stage whether the government will decide to make changes to the GSM points test, however, at a guess we think that they will. it’s been suggested that the current point test can distort outcomes for a skilled migrant. One example used on the Governments own website was a comparison between an international student who studied hairdressing in Australia compared to an applicant who has a PHD in environmental science from Harvard University.

The hairdresser past the points test with no problems gaining 135 points whilst the scientist failed the test with only 100 points. Although 10 of the hairdressers extra points were due to the occupation being more in demand then scientists; the extra 25 came from a combination of the hairdressers being on the MODL and having 12 moths Australian work experience. All things that the Australian Government says do ‘not always lead to outcomes that are consistent with the objectives of the General Skilled Migration Program.

5. New priority processing arrangements will be introduced for certain skilled migration visas.

The priority processing arrangements are designed to ensure that the Australian Economy gets the skills it needs now, rather than those of the visa applicants who applied first. If you are on the list then I’m sure you’ll love these changes..

The changes take effect from today and apply to applications lodged on or after this date. The changes also apply to applications that had been lodged previously with the department and have not been finalised.

The new priority processing arrangements will apply to the following Visas:

Employer Nomination Scheme (ENS)
Regional Sponsored Migration Scheme (RSMS)
The General Skilled Migration (GSM) Visas listed below:
- Skill Matching (subclass 134)
- Skilled—Independent (subclass 136)
- Skilled—State/Territory-nominated Independent (subclass 137)
- Skilled—Australian-sponsored (subclass 138)
- Skilled—Designated Area-sponsored (subclass 139)
- Skilled—Independent (subclass 175)
- Skilled—Independent (subclass 176)
- Skilled—Regional Sponsored (subclass 475)
- Skilled—Regional Sponsored (subclass 487)
- Skilled—Independent Regional (subclass 495)
- Skilled—Designated Area-sponsored (Provisional) (subclass 496)
- Skilled—Graduate (subclass 497)
- Skilled—Onshore Independent New Zealand Citizen (subclass 861)
- Skilled—Onshore Australian-sponsored New Zealand Citizen (subclass 862)
- Skilled—Onshore Designated Area-sponsored New Zealand Citizen (subclass 863)
- Skilled—Independent Overseas Student (subclass 880)
- Skilled—Australian-sponsored (subclass 881)
- Skilled—Designated Area-sponsored Overseas
- Student (subclass 882)
- Skilled—Independent (subclass 885)
- Skilled—Sponsored (subclass 886)

The following processing priorities (with highest priority listed first) apply:

Applications from people who are employer sponsored under the ENS and the RSMS.
Applications from people who are nominated by a state/territory government agency under a state migration plan agreed to by the minister.
Applications from people who are nominated by a state/territory government agency and whose nominated occupation is on the Critical Skills List (CSL)
Applications from people who are neither nominated nor sponsored in priority groups 1, 2 or 3, but whose nominated occupation is listed on the CSL.
Applications from people who are nominated by a state/territory government agency whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL.
(i) Applications from people whose occupations are listed on the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL).(ii) Applications from people who are sponsored by family and whose nominated occupation is not listed on the CSL.
All other applications are to be processed in the order in which they are received.

So that’s it folks, as always we’ll provide the latest updates as they happen. Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news as it happens or pop into our forums if you have any initial questions.

More information is available on the department’s website. (links open in a new page)

Changes to the General Skilled Migration Program (362KB PDF file)
Outcomes of the Migration Occupation in Demand List Review – Frequently Asked Questions (373KB PDF file)
Onshore International Students (435KB PDF file)
Changes to Offshore General Skilled Migration Visa Applications Received Before 1 September 2007 (409KB PDF file)
Changes to the Current Skilled Occupation List (368KB PDF file)
Revoking the Critical Skills List (337KB PDF file)
Changes to Priority Processing Arrangements – Frequently Asked Questions (406KB PDF file)
General Skilled Migration (GSM) Points Test Review (377KB PDF file)
Changes to the Skills Assessment Requirements for GSM Applicants Nominating a Trade Occupation (417KB PDF file)

Cheers

Mark

Western Australia Could Adopt State Based Migration Scheme

Mark — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:36:05 +0000

Western Australia job advertisements surged 6% in December which is the strongest monthly growth since May 2007.

Experts say that the renewal of the mining boom could force business to compete ferociously for workers. This isn’t good news for businesses in WA but it could be great news for folks looking to migrate to the state.

Just one day after Western Australia was declared the nations best-performing economy, treasurer Troy Buswell called for a state-based migration scheme as WA businesses were warned to brace themselves for skilled labour shortages.

Mr Buswell conceded that sucessive WA Governments had failed to budge Commonwealth migration policy from a one size fits all model.

“That is one fundamental structural inhibitor that will stop us spreading the economic growth potential all around the state” he said, continuing “I’ve spoken with industry groups about the need to establish a State migration strategy and that is something we need to action in the very near future”.

This could be some very Interesting times ahead. Working for one of the larger mining companies here in WA I recognise the importance that the positive financial impact of some of these larger mining projets will have on the Australian economy (and we’re talking billions of dollars here)!

The Rudd government is very keen to start seeing some of the revenue that they need to so desperatly following the recent bugetary impacts of the Global Financial Crisis.

If WA is going to help contribute to this ‘proverbial pot’ it will need tens of thousands of extra workers to do it.

The good thing for wannabe migrants is that the timescales for many of these larger projects is NOW with many continuing for a minimum of 4 to 10 years!

Let’s hope the outcome of the discussions with the industry groups is a positive one for those looking to migrate down under. If the pressure is there and numbers add up then there could be a potential change on the cards.

Update : January 13th:

I’m not alone in thinking this either.

According to the professor of economic policy at Perth’s Curtin University Peter Kenyon, the State has not had time since the end of the last boom in 2008 to build up its skilled labour numbers.

He said that when the mining sector once again starts to lure people in with large salaries it will be felt across other industries.

“Once you get higher wages, that draws people into the mining sector and away from elsewhere,”

he said.

“That means we will end up with is real skill shortages in Perth, and even in the rest of Australia.”

While there is no definite solution, Kenyon said that long term thinking is the best option but the short term will most likely be handled as it has in the past.

“Importing labour is the traditional Australian answer,” he said.

“The usual way of dealing with it is by increasing immigration and that is what will happen again.”

Wanted Down Under Series 4 back on the BBC

Mark — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:18:20 +0000

Wanted Down Under makes a return to the BBC with Series 4 Being aired this Monday at 10am on BBC 1.

I think this is the first time that Wanted Down Under has made it’s way onto BBC 1 with the last few series being relegated to obscure times of the day on BBC 2.

For those looking to Migrate to Australia, wanted down under has proved to be a very popular series to watch and I’d really love to hear your views of the latest Wanted Down Under series if you’ve seen one of the programs which has gone to air so far?

Unfortunately I can’t watch the new series from down under and BBC’s iplayer is also out of bounds for us non-Brits.

Still, I’m already down under so perhaps I shouldn’t moan to much

The fourth series of the show is due to be shown at 10am on BBC One each weekday and will last for 20 episode, each one focusing on people who have decided to up sticks and move to Australia or New Zealand.

Completed Skills Assessment Required Prior to Applying For Aussie Visas

Mark — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 05:30:29 +0000

Prior to the 1st of January 2010, applicants applying for permanent migration based on one of the onshore General Skilled Migration (GSM) visa subclasses were required, at time of application, to provide evidence that they had applied for a skills assessment by the relevant assessing authority. At time of decision, a suitable skills assessment was required.

From the 1st of January 2010, applicants applying for either the Skilled – Independent (Migrant) Visa (Subclass 885), Skilled – Sponsored (Migrant) Visa (Subclass 886) or the Skilled – Regional Sponsored (Migrant) Visa (Subclass 487) will be required to have obtained a suitable skills assessment prior to applying for migration in order for the application to be valid and assessed for a decision.

Applications that do not include a suitable skills assessment will be invalid and returned to the applicant, or where applicable, the authorised recipient. The application will not be eligible for a visa decision.

All occupations eligible for migration under the above visa subclasses will be required to meet this requirement. The change is supported by an amendment to the 1994 Migration Regulations. The change will affect applications lodged on or after 1 January 2010.

Due to this change, applicants will no longer be able to provide evidence that they have applied for a skills assessment in their nominated occupation with the relevant assessing authority as allowed pre 1 January 2010. Applicants must have obtained a suitable skills assessment in order to lodge a valid visa application and for it to be considered by the department.

Remember, a suitable skills assessment means a skills assessment issued by the relevant assessing authority stating that your skills are suitable to perform the tasks required as part of your nominated occupation. The occupation you are assessed for must be the same occupation as stated in your visa application.

More information is available at the following link : Skills Assessment Criterion as a Validity Requirement from 1 January 2010 for Onshore GSM Visas (39KB PDF File)

Are you effected by this news? Post a comment to let us know.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Mark — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:03:16 +0000

G’day everyone! Well, in less that 14 hours time it’s going to be Christmas day here in Australia.

For those ‘enjoying’ the snow throughout many countries in the Northern hemisphere, you’ll be interested to know that it’s forecast to be a not so chilly 36 Celsius here in Australia tomorrow.

We’ve got the ‘outlaws’ over from Sydney this Christmas so were looking forward to what will be the largest ‘family Christmas’ we’ve had in the three years that we’ve now been here. All we need to do now is work out how to cram 60 hours of defrosting time for the turkey into 24. I’m sure we’ll be OK

I know when we were in the UK planning our move to Australia we spent many years saying ‘just imagine what it’ll be like…. Christmas in Australia’. I can concur that it is the most wonderful place to spend Christmas and the sweat, tears, frustrations and almost endless waiting really were worth it.

I know for many of you reading this, 2009 will have turned out to be a very frustrating year. We’ve been through the worst economic financial crisis of modern times and the Australian immigration department has moved the goal posts so frequently in recent months it’s been hard to keep track.

Please just know this though. Time ticks on, visas get processed and dreams do come true. This time next year there’s a good chance that you won’t need to ‘just imagine’. You’ll be here, down under, living out that dream.

In closing, let me take this opportunity to wish you, your families and loved ones a very safe and fun packed holiday season. I’ll be sure to throw a few proverbial shrimps on the BBQ for you! Once I’ve bought and wrapped the wife’s Christmas present anyway!

All the best

Regards

Mark

457 Visa Holders – A benefit to Australia?

Mark — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 08:00:00 +0000

Since starting my new role in the mining industry, I’ve found myself working for an organisation which is much more reliant on skilled resources brought in from overseas.

I was chatting to one of the hiring managers the other day about this and being quite interested in the subject, I managed to steer the conversation onto the subject of Australian immigration and the challenges faced by companies following the many recent changes in immigration law.

One thing that I didn’t really appreciate until now is the hoops that the Australian Immigration Department are making companies jump through in order to justify bringing on board â€˜foreign’ workers on 457 Visas.

In pretty much every case, my company now needs to present a â€œbenefits to Australiaâ€ letter to justify why the employee would benefit the Australian economy before the potential employee even gets even a whiff of their new visa.

As an example. Here is one of the communications received from one of the Migration consultancies utilised by my company. Previously, many of these questions were never asked. The content may also prove useful as preparation for those looking to move to Australia under the 457 Visa class. For obvious reasons I’ve removed any personal data.

Dear x

Further to the information you have provided, we have prepared the relevant electronic nomination application for the position to be filled by [Mr X]. The application will be lodged over the internet as part of the Australian Department of Immigration’s electronic lodgement system for 457 visas. Could you please review the attached document and respond by return email with your agreement of the details contained in this application.

Benefit to Australia Request

In many cases, the Department of Immigration will likely to request a submission addressing the benefit to Australia of [Mr X's] assignment. Whilst we will be able to use most of the information provided for the submission, we will require specific details relating to [Mr X's] assignment. As such, can you please provide us with some commentary on whether has tried to recruit from the local labour market for [Mr X]. If so, how and for how long (i.e. through a recruitment agency, internet, internal or external) and some commentary if you believe that [Mr X] has a demonstrably higher level of skill or experience that what can be sourced within Australia.

The worrying thing is, I’m sure over the time the questions will get even harder to.

Funding Requirements For International Students To Increase From 2010

Mark — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:56:17 +0000

The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship announced earlier this month that the amount of funds international students will need to demonstrate and have genuine access to in order to be granted a Student visa will increase under proposed new changes.

Legislation changes are being pursued to increase the basic rate of living costs under the Migration Regulations from the previous rate of $12 000 per year. Subject to approval by the Governor-General, it is proposed that these changes will come into effect from 1 January 2010.

Under the proposed new regulations, prospective Student visa applicants and their family members must have access to the following funds to meet the living costs requirements:

$18 000 per year for the main student
$6300 per year for the student’s partner
$3600 per year for the student’s first child
$2700 per year for every other child; and where required

The Visa applicant must also be able to demonstrate that the funds they are relying upon to meet the costs of studying in Australia will be genuinely available to them during their stay in Australia.

The governments rational for increasing the cost of living threshold is down to the fact that the living cost requirement of $12 000 per year was first introduced in 2001. While this amount was an immigration integrity measure and was not intended to be indicative of the real cost of living in Australia, concerns have been expressed that this figure did not adequately prepare students for the realities of moving to Australia to study. By increasing the living costs requirement students will be better prepared to live and study in Australia.

The support that is currently available in Australia to domestic students and estimates made by Australian Education International (AEI), suggest $18 000 per year more accurately reflects the real costs of living in Australia. However, international students are encouraged to undertake their own research into the cost of living in Australia, taking into consideration their own circumstances before making a decision on whether to study in Australia. Prospective students should refer to the AEI â€˜Study in Australia’ website for more information on the cost of living in Australia.

What must students do to show that the funds are genuinely available?

Under the changes proposed for 1 January 2010, officers of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) assessing Student visa applications will have the discretion to consider a Student visa applicant’s circumstances to determine if the student genuinely holds the funds to which they claim to have access.

This includes checking:

â€¢ a prospective student’s previous financial and immigration history
â€¢ the employment history of the student or the person providing the student with financial support
â€¢ the source of the income used (for example, cash assets or a bank loan).

Where there is doubt about the student’s ability to access their claimed funds in Australia, the prospective student may be requested to provide further information in support of their application. For example, students relying upon a bank loan may need to show that these funds have been deposited into a bank account to which they have unrestricted access, and that they have the financial capacity to service the loan both before they depart for Australia and once they arrive.

Further information on the proposed changes will be made available on the department’s website

Getting Down under » Featured

Changes to the skills assessment criterion for certain onshore General Skilled Migration applicants

Related Posts

New Critical Skills List (CSL) Published

Important Note:

Related Posts

GSM Points Test Review Discussion Paper Released

Related Posts

Changes to the General Skilled Migration Program Annouced

1. Offshore General Skilled Migration Visa Applications made before the 1st September 2007 will be capped and then ceased.

2. The current Critical Skills List (CSL) will be revoked and will be replaced by a new Skilled Occupations List (SOL) effective from the middle of 2010.

3. The current Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL) will be revoked and replaced with the same (and more targeted) Skilled Occupations List.

4. The General Skilled Migration (GSM) Points Test will be reviewed to evaluate the effectiveness of the current test.

5. New priority processing arrangements will be introduced for certain skilled migration visas.

Related Posts

Western Australia Could Adopt State Based Migration Scheme

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Wanted Down Under Series 4 back on the BBC

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Completed Skills Assessment Required Prior to Applying For Aussie Visas

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Happy Holidays Everyone!

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457 Visa Holders – A benefit to Australia?

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Funding Requirements For International Students To Increase From 2010

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